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Museums & Art
Talbot is behind a hidden secret for fans of fans
Museums must look to ingenious means of displaying artefacts. Few items can be more challenging to display than fans but The Fan Museum has hit upon a rather inventive solution. They have commissioned Talbot Designs Ltd, a bespoke plastics fabrication company based in north London, to produce the exclusive Volet Fan Stand – so called because it was designed by Dr Volet, a Swiss gynaecologist whose wife was a fan of fans.
The Volet Fan Stand, according to Mrs Hélène Alexander who founded The Fan Museum with her husband in 1991, is a rather unique display item. “We believe the Volet stand is ideal for displaying fans,” she says. “It is the best and the safest method. The design uses the minimum of acrylic material and therefore allows the fans to be viewed from both sides. It holds the fan firmly whilst avoiding damage to what are often incredibly valuable and important pieces. And most importantly it can’t be seen when the fan is open.”
The Volet Fan stand is a simple and elegant design combining a supported arc of clear acrylic with a strong nylon thread to hold the fan in place. When fully open, the fan hides the stand enabling the beauty of the object on display to be admired without obstruction. Richard Woolff, managing director of Talbot Designs, says: “The Fan Museum has a collection of over 2000 items, not all of which are on display at any one time. We have been commissioned to produce several hundreds of Volet Fan stands, whose design remains the copyright of The Fan Museum.” The stands are used by the Museum although occasionally these are sold on to fan collectors on request.
The Fan Museum, which houses the world’s most important collection of fans, has benefited from support from the Heritage Memorial Fund and the heritage Memorial Fund. This year (2007) it was awarded a silver medal in the ‘Enjoy England’ Awards for Excellence. The Museum, at 12 Crooms Hill, Greenwich, SE10 8ER, is open from 11-5 daily (12-5pm on Sundays). For details visit www.fan-museum.orgSee also: Domes - Talbot Designs shields Statue of Liberty